Numeracy is about using numbers and understanding calculations in a variety of different situations in real life, work and education.
Some areas of numeracy are taught differently today from how most adults were taught at school.
The Pupil Guide to Numeracy is a guide giving pupils and parents worked examples of important topics. Parents/carers can use this to help them see how their child is taught certain skills. You will also find useful tutorials recorded by our own Maths staff in the numeracy section of this website.
We know that lots of parents and carers find it helpful to understand how their children are taught, so we thought we should provide some good resources and ideas in addition to the numeracy guide.
The best thing that parents and carers can do for children is to have a positive attitude towards maths and numeracy.
Tips on how you can make a difference to your child’s progress
¨ Apply numeracy skills to everyday situations like shopping and money. For example, get your child to work out the total cost of several ice creams and how much change you should get from a £20 note.
¨ Another useful application from shopping is working out best buys. For example, is it better value to buy carrots loose or to buy them pre-packaged in a bag?
¨ Times tables are vital – if your child is not confident with their times tables then practice, practice, practice until they are! Once your child knows their times tables, can they apply them?
¨ It is also important to encourage your child when they have assessments and homework and to make sure that they are prepared in the best way possible.
Numeracy based Apps for your tablet or smartphone:
¨ 6 Numbers (free) – a bit like “Countdown”, you have to make the target number by using 6 given numbers
¨ The Numeracy Map (1st level free)
¨ Math Bingo (£0.69)
¨ Maths Drills Lite (easy!) – (free)
¨ Doodle Maths (easy!) (free)
¨ Maths Wiz (free)
¨ Maths Trainer (free)
Useful Websites:
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone/learningathome/supportingnumeracy
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/article/help-your-child-with-maths
www.counton.org/games/mathfighter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zfcqn39
